Beyond Ideas of Wrong Doing And Right Doing

I wanted to send this out, because I don't think I could ever say these things this perfectly and I think we need to hear them. It was written by a dear friend of mine.

Eman8tions@aol.com
Sent: Sun, October 17, 2010 9:17:40 AM
Subject: Thought for the Day

On Friday, December 17th I will be doing a concert to celebrate Rumi's Wedding Day, the day he died and went on to full union with his Beloved Divine. We will be doing it on a much grander scale than in past years. Before it has been just me and twenty or thirty friends who got together in a musical meditation to be at One in the contemplation of the beauty and depth of Rumi's teachings and meditations.

This year it will be seen as a healing of the attitudes that have begun to damage the concept of our Muslim friends in our society. The teachings of Rumi, a 13th century Sufi Muslim, deeply reflect the universality of all religion, spirituality, love for the divine, love for truth and beauty however we wish to express it. He only asks for the devotion of love.

As I reflect on the concepts that swirl around this effort I am amazed that such beauty could potentially lead to debate, even conflict. There are those who would see the befriending of Muslims as encouraging terrorism. And yet they might very well have a teaching or phrase from Rumi on their refrigerator or office wall.

The object of the concert is twofold. One, to create a beautiful experience. The second is to put that experience in the context of the two cultures, to see that we are more deeply connected than not, to educate those who might see differences rather than similarities.

Rumi says, "Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there."

Rather than debate the issue this concert will take us to the beautiful center. From that way of seeing it all becomes obvious, needing no explaining. We share the experience of the divine, the universal truth, agreement, understanding. When we go there together we experience the same thing. When we realize we have shared the same thing it changes how we feel about each other.

That is the power of sports, and music and art, to show us our humanity, reveal that we are the same.

Emanations
Copyright © 2010 by John MacEnulty,
10/16/10, St. Louis, MO

Namaste,
John MacEnulty
8117 Nola Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63114
314-395-9962